The invention is related to surf boot design and in particular the issue of surf boots filling with water during use.
Surf boots, typically made of a neoprene upper with a rubber sole, are often worn in conjunction with a full neoprene wetsuit, particularly when additional protection is required against cold water temperature and/or sharp bottom conditions. A surf boot is shown if FIG. 1. The upper portion of the boot is typically a constructed of neoprene sheet material 1 and usually this is attached to a harder rubber sole 2, the stiffness of which is carefully chosen to provide some protection against sharp bottom features while maintaining sufficient flexibility to allow for the freedom of motion necessary to engage in surfing or other water-sports. The upper ankle section is configured to elastically seal around the ankle, in some cases assisted by a strap as shown in the figure. Elements 1 and 2, with or without straps are well-known in the field of wetsuit design, and many variations are commercially available with these common elements.
Typically, the ankle section of the boot is tucked up under the leg of the wetsuit. As the wetsuit takes on water, some of the water within the wetsuit naturally flows downward, and makes it's way into the boot despite the sealing provision of most current boot designs. During the course of a surfing session, part of the time is spent standing or walking, either on the surfboard, the ocean bottom or the beach. As the boot fills up, it becomes like a water balloon around the foot, which is difficult to drain without removing the boot, often not a convenient option during the session. And of course, the boot will fill again when returned to the water as wetsuits continually take in a small amount of water by design.
All surf boots currently on the market known to the inventor exhibit this behavior. Proposed solutions have been put forth to add an active pump and valve system to surf boots, utilizing heel pumps. Although such a system may drain a boot, it is inconvenient for a number of reasons. First, the pump action of the heel is not conducive to most parts of the surfing activity. Second, surf boots become quite contaminated with sand and other debris during use, so any kind of pump is a definite reliability risk. Third, surf boots are inexpensive, long-life accessories, so a complex system is detrimental to both of these desirable attributes. To the inventor's knowledge, these disadvantages have kept active pump solutions from actually going to market.
Thus it is the object of this invention to provide a surf boot design with a simple passive provision for draining the boot during use.